The House of Festetics (singular, not plural) or Feštetić in Croatian is the name of a historic family which dates back to 1566 of Hungarian counts and princes of Croatian origin. A prominent family during the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

, they are mostly known for the baroque

Festetics Palace The Festetics Palace is a Baroque palace located in the town of Keszthely, Zala County, Zala, Hungary. The building now houses the Helikon Palace Museum. The palace's construction, started by Kristóf Festetics family, Festetics in 1745, lasted mo ...

and the Viennese prince Tasziló Festetics.

Counts Festetics of Tolna

On 8 August 1746, Josef and Kristof Festetics (the two sons of the second marriage of Paul Festetics) added ''de Tolna'' to their surname (''von Tolna'' in Austria). On 5 November 1766, Josef's eldest son Pal Festetics de Tolna (1725–1782) was made a

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

by Queen

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...

of Hungary. On 24 February 1772, Kristof's eldest son Pal Festetics de Tolna (1722–1782) was made a count by Queen Maria Theresa of Hungary, who was also Archduchess of Austria and Holy Roman Empress. The title of count was inheritable by all male-line descendants.

Princes Festetics of Tolna

On 21 June 1911, Count Tassilo Festetics de Tolna (1850–1933) was made a prince (''

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German word for a ruler and is also a princely title. ' were, since the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ruled over states of ...

'') with the style

Serene Highness His/Her Serene Highness ( abbreviation: HSH, second person address: Your Serene Highness) is a style used today by the reigning families of Liechtenstein, Monaco and Thailand. Over the past 400 years, it has also used as a style for senior members ...

(''Durchlaucht'') by King Francis Joseph I of Hungary. His grandson, prince Georg (born 1940) is the current head of the house and third Fürst.

Dutch nobility incorporation

In 1973, Count Dénes Festetics de Tolna (1943) was incorporated in the

Dutch nobility The Dutch nobility is a small elite social class constisting of individuals or families recognized as noble, and with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The existence of nobility was established in the Constitution ...

with the title of count; the title of count(ess) is inheritable by all male-line descendants.

Notable members

Among the other prominent members of the family are: *

Antal Festetics Antal Festetics, exactly german: Antal-Erwin Graf Festetics von Tolna ( hu, _) (born June 12, 1937, Budapest, Hungary), is a Hungarian-Austrian biologist, zoologist and behavioural researcher. A student of Konrad Lorenz, in 1973 he became a univer ...

(born 1937), Austrian biologist * Andor Festetics (1843–1930), Hungarian politician *

György Festetics Count György László Festetics de Tolna (23 April 1815 – 12 February 1883) was a Hungarian politician, who served as Minister besides the King between 1867 and 1871. Family and ancestors He was the offspring from the Hungarian noble family ...

(1815–1883), Hungarian politician * Leo Festetics (1800–1884), Hungarian composer * Sándor Festetics (1882–1956), Hungarian politician * Tassilo Festetics de Tolna (1813-1883), Austrian general Festetics may also refer to: * the

, located in

Keszthely Keszthely (; also known by other alternative names) is a Hungarian city of 20,895 inhabitants located on the western shore of Lake Balaton. It is the second largest city by the lake and one of the more important cultural, educational and economi ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

* the Festetics String Quartet, from

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Counts Festetics of Tolna

Princes Festetics of Tolna

Dutch nobility incorporation

Notable members

See also

Further reading